Easter Sunday

This Sunday marks the culmination of everything we believe as followers of Jesus Christ.
If your are a christian, your salvation was purchased with a price and it did not come cheap. God couldn't just wink at sin and forget about it, divine and eternal justice had to be met. It was obtained at a dear cost and the price was paid in blood. This blood was not shed apart from much suffering. Two things I find important for my own faith to remember during Easter.

1. God the father is who ultimately killed Jesus.

Sounds shocking, its much easier to blame it on the Jews or the Romans, but they were merely pawns in the hand of the father.--Is. 53:10 tells us that it was the Lord's will to crush Jesus and offer Him as the ultimate atonement for sin. 2cor. 5:21 tells us that not only did Jesus save us from sin, but on the cross He actually BECAME sin, causing God the father to turn away as His own son cries out "why have you forsaken me?" John 10:17---"for this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down on my own accord"

We can never forget that what Jesus did, He did for love. Love for you and me. As Peter cut off the ear of a soldier to "protect" Jesus, He informed him that he could call down a whole army of angels with one word to deliver Him. You know those angels were ready and probably begging Jesus to just say the word. If Jesus was asking why He was being forsaken, Michael, Gabriel and the others would have no idea why Heaven's prince was suffering at the hands of mere men. Yet as a lamb led to slaughter, he opened not His mouth. Where does that kind of love come from?



2. Jesus overpaid our debt.

Is. 53:4-5--"surely He took our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered Him punished by God, stricken by Him and afflicted. He was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought us peace was on Him, and by his stripes we are healed"

In Jesus' suffering and death on the cross, he bore more than our sins. The penalty for sin is death, but Jesus did not need to suffer as he did to provide atonement. He suffered to bear our griefs and sorrows. He was tortured for our peace and healing.
Surely atonement for sin was our greatest need, yet God provided more than just escape from judgement, He offers life and life more abundantly. Salvation is so much more than just going to heaven, it is the beginning of living in right relationship with the God because of Jesus Christ!!

"Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe, sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow"---Elvina Hall 1865

Pray that this Easter that those who may just come to church out of "american obligation", would have their hearts opened to the reality of God and life in His son Jesus Christ.